Musical Romance
by wethedreamers
Summary: Music can express so much. A series of unrelated one-shots centered around various pairings and what occurs when they spend Valentine's Day together. Each pairing will have a song, but the chapters are not all song fics.
1. Chapter 1: Our Song

A/N:

Hola Amigos Y Amigas!

(I can speak Spanish perfectly, but writing it, as you can see, is quite a challenge. Hm, maybe I should've taken it instead of French…)

Here I am yet again, with another HSM tale for you all. Yes, this story will most likely be multi-chaptered, but all of them are separate one-shots. I plan to try to write every pairing in this, in order to expand my writing style. Each pairing will have a song, but they will not all be songfics. (If that makes any sense…) I have a few ideas for the chapters, but if any of you have a pairing you want me to write, and/or a song you want me to use, please let me know. If I use your idea, I will credit you at the beginning of the chapter.

All of these are just focused on the couple's Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

Title: Musical Romance

Author: xCuteyCupcakesx

Pairing: Troyella

Disclaimer;

I own nothing, not HSM, not Taylor Swift's "Our Song", not even that perfume I saw yesterday at the mall, but that's aside from the point…

1: Our Song---

(I was riding shotgun, with my hair undone, in the front seat of his car.)

"Troy! We're gonna be late." A beautiful brunette glared at her blue-eyed boyfriend, as, yet again, he insisted on making a stop at McDonald's for a last-minute meal before school.

"Chill Gabby," he said with a smile. "We've got like twenty minutes."

"Yeah, but there's this thing called traffic. It tends to prevent people from reaching the desired destination in a normal amount of time. I hate being late to homeroom, Darbus is merciless."

"Oh the price I pay for dating a brainicc." Troy pulled up to the drive through and ordered something resembling a heart attack on a bun, ignoring the look coming from the passenger's seat.

"Ugh whatever. Just cause it's Valentine's Day," Gabriella muttered.

"I'll make it up to you later babe," he said, shooting her a suggestive wink.

She made a face. "Sorry wildcat, I'm not that easy."

(He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel

The other on my heart)

At that moment "With You" came on the radio. "Oh I love this one!" Gabriella exclaimed, turning up the volume as they drove-finally-to school.

Troy just smiled at his girlfriend as she softly sang along. As the song came to a close she turned the volume down and turned to him, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Something wrong?" he asked curiously.

"We need a song," she said simply.

Troy stared for a second, before returning his gaze to the road ahead. "Uh…Breaking Free?" he said with little comfidence. Gabriella could be so random at times.

"I don't know. Something more…us."

"And the song that braught us together isn't "us" enough?"

"Makes me think of Shar and Zeek for some reason."

He looked at her as they pulled into the school parking lot. "You know you just ruined that song for me, right?" He gave her a pouty look.

"You mean the sight of those two making out doesn't turn you on."

As if on cue, as they entered the school, a blonde girl was seen against the lockers, furiously kissing an athletic-looking guy. Troy looked at his girlfriend with a raised eyebrow, as he took her hand and they began there sprint to homeroom. "We're more unique than that," Gabriella said.

At that moment the bell sounded and the girl let out a groan.

Our song is the slamming screen door,

Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window

When we're on the phone and you talk real slow

Cause it's late and your mama don't know)

"Let's go."

It was nearing four-thirty and annoyed students still inhabited the East High halls, running at full speed to leave before the entire holiday was spent with the overly-enthusiastic drama teacher.

"That breakfast was really good," Troy joked, as he opened the school doors, Gabriella right behind him.

"Shut up. I swear if I have to see another flower or a balloon, or one of those harmone-crazed pairs in the halls—"

"Gabriella, breathe. We're outta there for the day. It's still early and I want to take you out somewhere."

This braught a smile to her face. "Where?"

"I'll drop you off at home and be back to pick you up in two hours ok?" Before she could question his offer, he picked her up and proceeded to carry her to his car.

"Troy!" Her signature laugh rang out, the infectious sound bringing a smile to everyone who heard, especially to one basketball boy in particular. God, he thaught, she's really something.

(Our song is the way you laugh

The first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have")

Gabriella was exhausted, so as soon as she entered her house, her bed seemed to shriek for her to come to it and sleep for the next hour or so. The day had been longer than usual, with all the love going around, wich made any sane person wonder if the creator of this holiday eventually ended up in a mental institution.

As she reached her room, she rushed to her bed, but stopped when she noticed the new look her surroundings held.

Her bed was covered in rose petals, with a single rose lying atop her pillow. Above flew many balloons, in all of her favorite colors. On her nightstand sat a vase with a beautiful arrangement of red and white roses. She looked at this all in astonishment.

(I was walking up the front porch steps after everything that day

Had gone all wrong and been trampled on

And lost and thrown away

Got to the hallway, well on my way to my lovin' bed

I almost didn't notice all the roses

And the note that said...)

She picked up the single white rose, and saw that it had a note attached to the stem, tied with white ribbon. She untied it and read:

Dear Gabriella,

First off, happy Valentine's Day. I hoped you've liked your surprise so far. This is my attempt at showing you just how much I love and care about you. In your closet you will find an outfit that I would like you to wear to our next event tonight. Take a look! In your second dresser drawer you will find a box. Open it and see.

Nothing can represent my pure and true love for you, Gabby, but this is my way of showing you how I feel. You, Gabriella Montez, have my entire heart and I love you with everything in me.

Troy

P.S Remember how you said we needed an original song?

Gabriella stared at the last line for a moment, but soon rushed to her closet and swung the door open to reveal a beautiful dress. It was a light pink strapless one, that came to above her knee. It was just so silky and beautiful, Gabriella suspected he'd had some help picking out this one. On the floor sat a pair of white heels, simple, and yet so perfect, like the love they had.

After getting over the dress (at least enough to look away.) she headed over to her dresser and pulled open the indicated drawer. There lay a small box, wich she wasted no time in opening.

A gasp escaped her lips as she looked down at a beautiful gold ring engraved with a set of five letters: Kuupo. She lifted It carefully, and looked it over, astonished at…just…everything. Below the ring lay a folded piece of paper. This one read:

"Kuupo" means "my sweetheart" in Hawaiian. I know how much you want to visit there, and I promise someday I'll make that wish come true, but for now this will have to do.

No song can represent the love I feel for you, but… "Our song is the slamming screen door,

Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window

When we're on the phone and you talk real slow

Cause it's late and your mama don't know

Our song is the way you laugh

The first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"" You are my sweetheart.

A smile spread across her face as she read, no song had ever seemed as beautiful as this one. Nothing could measure up to true love. She began to get ready in the gorgeous etire that had been given to her, her motivation being the sound of the one she loved singing that song to her on this perfect day.

(I've heard every album, listened to the radio

Waited for something to come along

That was as good as our song...)

"Thank you so much, Troy, it's all so grate. I love you so much." Even though she was unaware of where he would be taking her, love was there, and at the time that was all that mattered.

(And when I got home, before I said amen

Asking God if he could play it again)

A/N So? Review please. Like I said, ideas would be grately loved. Thanks so much for reading.

Xox-Daizy


	2. Ch 2: Who's Really The Music In Troy

A/N Hello all my lovely readers!

So my friend suggested I try a Trelsi, and well, I did. It was…um…ok, I guess. Well, I guess it's really up to you.

This one's dedicated to Xochyl (So sorry if I spelled that wrong honey; your name's pretty complicated…lol.) who suggested it and gave me some ideas as well. And yes girly, let's audition together! Let's go "Into The Woods", lol.

BTW, this is AU to the second movie…and in case you didn't know, the song is "You Are The Music In Me."

Hope you all like!

Title: Musical Romance

Author: xCuteyCupcakesx

Pairing: Trelsi TroyxKelsi

Disclaimer;

Sadly, I don't own HSM or it's characters and/or songs.

Chapter 2: Who's Really The Music In Troy

It was Valentine's Day and Troy Bolton didn't have a date. Troy Bolton was single on Valentine's Day. The basketball captain didn't have a girl on the fourteenth of February.

No matter how you worded it, it just didn't sound right. It just wasn't what was expected in East High. Then again, after the whole "Breaking Free" incident, the expectations seemed to have changed.

By now it would've been acceptable for him to date Gabriella Montez, the freaky math girl, and one of his closest friends, but that wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't what she wanted either.

"Hey Troy!" A brunette raced up to him right after the schoolday had come to a much-awaited end.

"Hey Gabby, what's up?" he asked, shutting his locker.

"Rehearsals are canceled for today," she answered.

He couldn't help the disappointment he felt at this; it was his excuse for not having a date this year.

"Oh," he said, trying to sound as casual as was possible. "So what're you gonna do later?"

"Well," she grinned, "Ryan actually asked me out. You?"

"Not much. Got a lot of stuff to catch up on."

"Really? The Wildcat superstar is dateless this year?" She instantly frowned when she realized how it had sounded. "Oh! Um…sorry, I meant th—"

"It's fine. I've got someone in mind," he replied hurriedly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'd love to continue this, but I think you're keeping someone waiting." He motioned behind her, to where Ryan stood, leaning against a locker.

Turning, Gabriella smiled and headed in his direction. "See you later!" she called as the couple headed toward the school entrence.

Kelsi Neelson was an amazing composer, that was true, but there was a fine line between reality and fiction. Her compositions were all fiction; fictional characters falling in love and living in blissful peace for the rest of forever. They were filled with cheesey romantic moments, overly-sweet lines, everything that could represent this one day, and everything she resented to no end. There was a large difference between fiction and reality.

Sinking down on the bench in front of the piano, Kelsi extracted her notebook from her backpack, and began work on her new creation. Placing it to the side, she pressed the first few keys, and opened her mouth to sing the loving lyrics.

(You know the words once upond a time, make you listen, there's a reason…)

She sped up the tempo as the song progressed and started to really get into the feel of it. Her delicate voice floating off the auditorium walls. It wasn't as strong as others, but it was pure and tender, and filled with passion.

A certain blue-eyed Wildcat happened to be walking by as she performed to the empty room. Hearing faint music, he stopped to listen for a moment, mezmorized by the sweet sound coming from beyond. It wasn't one of the Twinkle Town songs, wich increased his curiosity.

As he entered the seemingly vacant room, he noticed a small girl perched on the piano bench, eyes closed, and hands flying smoothly across the keys of the piano. Out of her mouth came beautiful lyrics, wich complimented the melody coming from the instrument.

(When I hear my favorite song, I know that we belong…)

Who would've thought that Kelsi Neelson had such a voice. Troy looked up at her, hesitant to make a move in her direction; at least not until the song was over. He couldn't deny how beautiful she appeared at the moment, in such deep concentration.

(You are the musuc in me.)

As the song came to a close, her eyes slowly opened and she looked around, sensing a presence. Locating Troy near the entrence she froze. 'How much did he hear' she thought in embarrassment. She wasn't fond of people hearing her unfinished work; she tended to be verry self-conscious about these things. And Troy of all people! She no longer tried to tell herself that she felt nothing toward him, she just didn't make a move to go after him. He was with Gabriella anyway, right? They were always together; they were the perfect couple, everyone expected that.

She pulled herself out of her pondering when she realized her, quite obvious, stare in his direction.

"Oh, um, sorry. I'll go. Did you need the—"

"No it's fine," he cut her off. " I just heard you from out there and…"

'What the hell are you saying' he thought to himself. She's with Jason, one of your team mates.

Despite his comfirmation that it was okay for her to be here, Kelsi began to gather her things and leave. As she stood up, her notebook fell from her trembling hands; all the loose sheets from within falling in every direction.

She felt her face turn as red (or maybe redder) than a verry ripe tomato as she bent down to collect everything. 'Well, that made you look grate' she thought with humiliation.

"Need a hand?"

She looked up to see Troy standing only feet from her with a slightly amused expression.

"Um, I, Um…"

Not waiting for an answer, he lowered himself to the stage floor, gathering more of the scattered papers.

"Don't you and Gabriella have somewhere to be?" Kelsi froze after realizing what had accidentally escaped her lips.

'Shit, why did you say that Neelson' she mentally scolded herself.

"Gabriella? Why would I have any plans with Gabriella today?"

She gave him a confused look. "Aren't you guys, like, together? I mean, you're always around each other, you hang out a lot during rehearsals, you're the leads, and with that whole "Breaking Free" thing I just thought that maybe—"

Troy laughed softly. "We're not together. We're really good friends, but I'm not interested in her. She's actually out with Ryan right now."

"Ryan?" was all she could think of saying. Although, she couldn't control the speck of hope that rose when he said that he wasn't interested in Gabriella. 'But he said he was interested in some one else, it can't be me; he wouldn't have said it to me if it was…

Her thought process was interrupted as he spoke again.

"So? Why the sudden interest in me and Gabby?"

The red returned to her cheeks as she realized how incredibly random and overly-curious she must have sounded just seconds ago.

"Uh…no reason. I just assumed…" She stopped herself, unable to think of a reason to justify her questions.

Summoning up some courage, Troy took the chance to ask something he'd been curious about; they were on the topic after all. (Or at least, that's how he reasoned it with himself.)

"So why aren't you out with Jason?"

"Me and Jason? Me and him are nothing. Do people think we're dating or something." She tried to recover from her former humiliation and act normal.

"It looked like something at the afterparty. SO you guys aren't together?"

"No. I'm interested in someone else," she replied, once again scolding herself for letting another hint slip. "So why the sudden interest?" She tried to take the focus off her before he asked something she didn't want to answer.

"Uh," Troy searched his brain for a reason. "Just seemed to fit the comversation; just clearing up some rumors. So you're into someone else?"

It was like tag. The weight came and left each one periodically.

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"Who were you talking about?"

He quickly looked away at this. "Just…some girl."

Kelsi frowned. "There're a lot of those around…"

'God, just tell her' he told himself.

"Uh…let's um…finish picking this up…it's kinda late…"

'Not that'.

Kelsi's hope plummeted, but, realizing that they were still positioned on the stage floor, she agreed and began to grab at the last of the papers.

Trying not to look at each other, they collected the papers quickly in an awkward silence. At one point they both grabbed the same page; they really should've looked.

Looking up Kelsi was met with a hypnotizing pair of blue eyes. She tried to look away, but it proved to be quite impossible. The gaze was held, an incredible intensity building between them.

'Go for it' Troy kept mentally shouting at himself.

Unable to stand it any more, he leanded forward and wrapped an arm around her small waist' pulling her closer to him.

She felt her heart racing at an unnatural speed. She felt sick. The butterflies in her stomach were flying a hundred miles an hour.

In spite of themselves, they both uttered the words that the other had wanted to hear so much.

"I was talking about you."

With this revelation as motivation, Troy cupped her face with his other hand and gently guided her closer; eventually joining in a sweet and tender kiss. It was simple and quick, but it was all that was needed to break the ice.

"So…"

"So…"

"You're definitely not interested in Gabriella?"

"So you're definitely not into Jason?"

She smiled at him. It had finally happened, and it was so much better than either of them could've imagined.

Troy picked up the sheet of music they'd both grabbed before, and looked it over. "So this is what you were playing earlier?"

"Yeah," she said softly, "it's really not grate. I'm not really finished."

He smiled at her. "It's amazing."

He couldn't help pulling her in for another, and more passionate, kiss.

"Miss Neellson! Mr. Bolton!"

'Crap' they thought as they broke apart, looking up to be met with a verry annoyed-looking Miss Darbus.

A/N And the Trelsi is done! Hope it was at least worth the read. Please review; I'll take any comment. And if you have any ideas for couples and/or songs, let me know.

Thanks much for reading!

REVIEW!

Xox-Daizy


	3. Sharpay's Song

A/N: Sincerely sorry for the delay.

I've been working on this one, but Troypay's been harder than the others. I like the pairing—it's fun—but writing it isn't my strong point.

The other reason for my lack of updating is that I had to make up all of the work for the semester. (Or as much as was possible.) I keep all of my schoolwork on this little, like, laptop-type-thing wich is used for the blind to write and stuff… Anyways, it froze and everything on it got deleted. (It majorly sucked.) So that was my main focus last week and over the weekend, but I got sick of just having this half-finished, so I did the best I could to not make it totally suck.

I was working on this last week before the school-thing, but I got a Gabpay idea and focused on that at the time.

Anyway, sorry for the sucky fic, but hopefully you wil R and R anyway.

Title: Musical Romance

Author: xCuteyCupcakesx

Pairing: Troypay

Disclaimer; I don't own HSM, Mary's Song (Oh My My My), or any other things mentioned in this fic. I do, however, finally own the 'Taylor Swift' album; I'm pretty happy about that one…

----------

Chapter 3: Sharpay's Song (Oh Troy Troy Troy)

Dear Diary,

(That sounds…pathetic…how the hell are you supposed to address a book…oh,, whatever…)

Hello and welcome to the fabulous world of me.

So what am I supposed to say in this. Why am I even writing in this. (The fact that it's pink with little rhine stones on the cover had nothing to do with my decision.) I mean what kind of person writes in a diary? What kind of birthday gift is a diary; daddy really needs to work on these things.

So now I shall proceed to introduce myself. I am the one and only Sharpay Evans, also known as East High's primo girl, or the co-captain of the amazing drama club.

(Even though Miss Darbus is now considering Gabriella for this; what a mistake that would be.)

So I'm guessing that this is the part where I pour my heart out on your pages; in turn feeling, like, relieved or something afterwords.

Hmm, what am I feeling now?

Well, I'm cold, it's February, so that might have something to do with it. I feel a sense of annoyance, but that wouldn't surprise anyone that know's me. I feel tired; other than drama, school sucks.

I don't even get the pleasure of checking out Troy Bolton anymore; little miss Gabriella Montez is like a watch dog. Don't get me wrong, I've grown to accept her in my terf, but her and Troy…

Well…

That one's going to change…eventually…

Do I still like Troy Bolton?

Yes!

Am I going to hang around gawking at him with my mouth hanging open, something resembling the cheerleaders?

Hell no!

Am I going to give up considering my try at Lava Springs was…erm…unsuccessful?

No!

Am I sick of writing in you all ready?

Obviously, but there's nothing else to do so…

This whole 'pouring your heart out' thing's not working.

Tomorrow's Valentine's Day and I'm single. That doesn't sound right. That's just not right.

Do I have some one in mind? (I feel like I'm talking to myself.)

Yes, and he's the captain of my school's basketball team. (God, he looks so hot in that uniform.) He's number fourteen to be exact, he's got blue eyes, and he also has a pretty perky little girlfriend. This all sucks. And what's worse is that things used to be different…

Yes, there was actually a time when Troy didn't want to run and cling to another when I came his way. I used to be the one he would cling to.

(She said, I was seven and you were nine

I looked at you like the stars that shined

In the sky, the pretty lights)

It all started when we were ten, in Misses Marrgraff's class. (She was a witch!) It was Valentine's Day, ironically enough, and we used to do this stupid little 'secret admirer' exchange thing. It was just this: Pick a name out of a hat, buy the person some cheesy sweet little gift, give it to them during the exchange, and make them think that someone actually cared enough to buy them something. (Even though, if it wasn't for this, nobody would give a shit about your feelings.)

I, like all the others, was verry excited at the time. Now imagine how that enthusiasm must've decreased when I pulled out the piece of paper saying 'Ryan Evans. Well, let's just say my parents got an annoyed call from my (evil) teacher that night. This, though, did not change my partner either; I guess it was okay in the end. I could just get him some crappy gift and not have to give it a second thought. All I really cared about was what I'd get.

And on this fateful day, a miniature Troy approached my desk. I was little, but not immune to the crush all of us girls—and probably some boys—shared.

Anyway, he dropped a small heart-shaped box of chocolate on my desk. He also handed me a balloon that said 'be my Valentine.' Corny much? Yes, but I was ten, I was love-striken, and that was when I began to float. He smiled at me, and we started there.

(Take me back when our world was one block wide

I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried

Just two kids, you and I...

Oh my my my my)

I have been in this position ever since. Sure I've been deflated a few times, but a new gust usually fills me again a short time after that occurs.

We never dated, to be exact, just kind of…

We were kind of…

Friends with benefits I guess…

(I was sixteen when suddenly

I wasn't that little girl you used to see

But your eyes still shined like pretty lights)

And at one point I thought we'd actually reached the door to the next…erm…level, but that was pretty much the same time he left for Colorado. After that, well, that was the whole "Breaking Free" ordeal, where Gabriella basically stole him from me.

It's a long boring story, wich basically ends with me trying to be accepting of the Wildcats, and falling in love with Zeeks baking—his baking, not him.

Unfortunately that's not the impression most of them got. Yeah, I kind of dated Zeek, but it's not like we were ever a couple or anything.

And then, about a month ago, 'Troyella' (as the school felt the need to name them after they won prom queen and king) broke up. And that was also around the time I was considering Zeek. And that's when I over-heard a talk between Troy and the guy in major need of a haircut, also known as Chad. It went something along the lines of-

Troy: Man, I don't know if I want to get back together withGabriella again.

Chad: Who you checking out now?

Troy: So are Zeek and Sharpay actually together?

Chad: Sharpay? Seriously?

Troy: Yeah, well, we kind of used to have a thing. I thought I told you; I was actually gonna get together with her. I mean, I'd ask her now, but she's with Zeek and…

Chad: Gotcha, yeah, that's rough, but I guess you could still go back with Gabby. If not,

And that's exactly what ended up happening, and now they're on this on-again off-again thing.

My brother's banging on my door. Something about wanting Gabriella's number or something…

Why would he want that? I was pretty sure they were on again.

So I'm gonna go answer him now, and, while I'm at it, yell at him for treating my door with such aggression.

Xox-Sharpay-xox

Dear Diary,

(That still sounds stupid to me…)

Life works in strange ways. For example, how is it that the glass slipper only fit Sinderella; surely she wasn't the only one with that shoe size. I mean, some 1-50 dollar street hooker could've had the same size and the story would've been something completely different.

How is it that Little Red Ridinghood didn't automatically notice her grandmother's similarities to a big, hairy wolf? How can a wolf swallow someone whole, and have them cut out of him unharmed.

Diary, oh diary, today was a day like no other. It was Valentine's Day. That alone sucked to start, but the unexpected occurred.

'Troyella' is no more!

Something about not really being in to each other…I don't know, but the point is, they're o-v-e-r.

How do I know this? Well, it all started when I saw my brother giving Gabriella an arrangement of roses, and Troy looking unphased by it just answered my question,.

I guess this would've been the precise time to pounce, but I couldn't. Shocking isn't it. Of course I wanted him, that has all ready been comfirmed, but it's just...

This is hard, I hate emotional declarations but…

I didn't want things to just be, like, like, like…

Like they were before; I wanted him so bad, but I actually wanted him. Not just like a little game. So I did nothing.

The first half of the day went by dully; work, work, and more pointless work.

At lunch, though, when I went to my locker, I found something all too familiar. I found a small heart-shaped box of chocolates and a balloon. 'BE MY VALENTINE.' It said.

I froze. I was totally not expecting that.

And then I looked up and met an astounding pair of blue eyes. They looked nervous, hopeful, sincere, true.

And now I'm listening to a sweet little song, getting ready for my date, and filling up on peanut butter chocolates shaped like mini-hearts.

Something tells me this is real diary. I'm not really sure what, but we've got such a history. He's the only one I've always wanted.

(Take me home where we met so many years before

We'll rock our babies on that very front porch

After all this time, you and I

I'll be eighty-seven; you'll be eighty-nine

I'll still look at you like the stars that shine

In the sky, oh my my my…)

Xox-Sharpay-xox

--------A/N Hopefully that wasn't as bad as I think it was. (Although it probably was.)

A second update will be here in about an hour; I'm just editing it.

Thanks much for reading!

Now review! ;)

Xox-Daizy


	4. 4: Speechless Gabpay

A/N Yes, it is me, back again.

This one's a Gabpay, girlxgirl, if you don't like or agree with this pairing, then feel free to stop reading. If you enjoy this…hopefully it's…okay…

It kind of dragged, but I guess that's what coffee does to me. :D

Dedication; To any Gabpay-obsessed person such as m yself… (I know there's one out there…somewhere…lol.)

Title: Musical Romance

Author: xCuteyCupcakesx

Pairing: Gabpay, GabriellaxSharpay, FEMSLASH

Disclaimer; Unfortunately, I don't own HSM, 'Speechless' by The Veronicas, or any other things referred to in this story.

-----

Chapter 4: Speechless

"No!"

"Yes."

"Troy. It's just not gonna happen."

"Gab—"

"Give it up."

"Hey Troy…Gabriella."

The couple looked up to see a petite blonde standing before them.

Gabriella forced a small smile, fearing how much of the comversation she'd overheard.

"Hey, Sharpay." Troy looked the girl over with evident interest. Receiving a death glare from Gabriella, he quickly forced his wandering eyes elsewhere. Thinking of a plan, Troy—not so subtly—asked "any plans today?"

Sharpay bit her lip; a look of nervousness showing on her face for only a moment, before she recomposed herself. "Well, you know…you?" She forced the perkiness back in to her voice.

'What the hell was that, Sharpay.' She growled mentally.

"Basketball for me," answered Troy. "Gotta train for the state finals-" he glanced at his brunette friend, who had backed into the lockers and hadn't uttered a word since Sharpay's arrival. "-Gabby, though…you doing anything?"

The girl's cheeks warmed as she gave him a murderous look. 'Troy, I'm going to kill you!'

She glanced at Sharpay for a second, but rapidly averted her gaze. "Uh…not…no…nothing…" Her words faded as the red returned to her cheeks. 'Yeah, that sounded smart.'

The onlooking blonde held back a smile at the other girl's expression. 'She looks so cute.'

"Interesting."

"As interesting as I'm sure it is, you're late for practice, Troy."

Coach Bolton rushed by, in the direction of the gym.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute dad." Troy called after him.

"Now!" The response was firm.

"I think you're wanted," said Gabriella, an amused look on her face.

"Uh, yeah, I'll see you guys later.  
" He gave Gabriella a hug; taking the chance to lean in and whisper "tell her" in her ear.

Sharpay tried not to scowl at the closeness between them. 'Get over it.' She told hersellf. 'They've still got a something…you don't stand a chance.'

"Well, um…I guess I'll…" The brunette looked around; anywhere but at the beautiful girl before her.

"So, you're not doing anything later?" The curious-dictator was back in Sharpay's voice.

The former raised an eyebrow. 'Why do I like her again?' "No," she answered simply.

The chilly winter wind blew, sending Sharpay's blonde curls in a frenzy around her head. 'Oh yeah, that's why.' Gabriella thought, admiring the other girl's captivating beauty.

The girl pulled on her fly-away hair in annoyance. "Do you wonna…hang out…do something…since we're currently dateless…might as well….?" 'What are you saying!'

'Yes!' "Um..sure…what?" 'Bad answer.'

"Like coffee or something." 'Just stop talking.' She mentally snapped.

"Yeah, coffee sounds good."

"Okay." Sharpay began down the hall in her usual I'm-the-queen-of-the-school manner, motioning the—somewhat shocked—brunette to follow.

After all the Lava Springs drama they had managed to get along, but they were never friends or anything. They were more like those people you exchanged a few words with sometimes. The ones you gave just a simple candy cane to at Christmas. Definitely not the kind who spent Valentine's Day together.

Lost in her thoughts, Gabriella wasn't able to prevent a collision with a pole. As her forehead collided with the cold metal, SHarpay looked over, slightly amused, slightly worried.

Gabriela felt her face—once again—turning tomato-red; feeling about as embarrassed as she had during the chilli fries incident a little over a year ago.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

So far the ride to the Coffee Bean (Apparently Sharpay was a 'coffee-addict.') had been filled with awkwardness and quiet.

About five minutes in to the drive, it became too much for Gabriella. 'Say something.' "So…"

Sharpay looked at her briefly, before turning her gaze back to the road ahead.

The brunette searched her brain for something to say. "So…did you paint your car pink, or do they actually sell pink cars."

'God, don't tell me I just said that.' She stared out the window, trying to avoid the humiliation.

Sharpay smiled amusedly. Glancing at the girl, her smile grew at the look of embarrassment and deep blush on her face. 'Even more cute.' She laughed slightly. "I don't know. It was a gift for my sixteenth birthday."

Silence.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The door gave a small twinkly sound as the girls entered the warm coffee shop. The awkwardness seemed to be somewhat lifted as other humans surrounded them.

After ordering their drinks, they headed for a table in the far corner.

Gabriella took a deep breath of the delicious scent and sat down, Sharpay followed suit.

"So…"

Sharpay looked up at the sound. Taking a deep breath, she decided it was time to say what she had planned. "Gabriella?" Her voice was timid.

"Yeah?"

"I just…well, we've kind of had a rough past and…I…are we…friends?" She looked down and examined her pink nails; avoiding the brunette beauty's eyes.

Gabriella smiled warmly. "Of course we are."

Sharpay let out a breath. "Good. That's…grate."

"Yeah…grate."

Sharpay contemplated telling Gabriella the rest, but decided against it. She wasn't willing to take the risk at that moment. "So?" She tried to move on to lighter matters; the air felt way to tense right now. "You ever notice how alike Troy is to that guy from Hairspray?"

'Why did you have to bring up Troy?'

'Why'd she bring up Troy?' Gabriella pushed the thoughts aside and smiled. "Yeah. I totally kept making him go watch it with me over the summer; he still doesn't see the resemblance."

'You're smile's so beautiful.' Sharpay pulled herself from her trance. "It's definitely there. Something about his hair…the look during that scene in Twinkle Town. The one where he had to dance around in the tights."

They both giggled, remembering the picture that still haunted the basketball captain.

"So you guys are still, like, really good friends?" 'You just had to ask that.'

"Yeah. The break up was kinda neutral, so it's all good between us…" She took a sip of her chocolate latte.

"That's cool." Sharpay nibbled awkwardly at her maple scone. "So what'd he get you for Valentine's Day?" 'You suck at small-talk!' She mentally snapped.

"Just a bunch of candy."

"Can't go wrong with that."

They smiled.

Sharpay reached in to her pink schoolbag (It was essential for her to carry it; it matched her outfit perfectly after all.) and pulled outa small red and pink gift bag. "Since we're friends…I thought…"

Gabriella smiled and reached for the bag. Sharpay had gotten her a gift, even if it was just between friends, Sharpay had gotten her a gift.

As she grabbed the bag, their hands brushed. Both girls lingered like this for a moment. At exactly the same time, they both pulled forcefully back, the bag landing on the table.

They looked away from each other. Faces burned.

Sharpay cleared her throat.

Gabriella grabbed the bag.

As she pulled out a folded piece of paper atop the gift, Sharpay froze.

'Crap.' She thought frantically. 'I forgot to…

"I-"

Finished reading, Gabriella looked up at Sharpay. Her face was one of shock; unreadable, stunned.

Taking this as a negative sign, Sharpay desperately tried to come up with an excuse.

"It was a—"

"Shar—"

"I was…a joke. I forgot about…I didn't mean iit…"

"I al—what?" Gabriella's face fell.

"What?"

"A joke?" Not waiting for a response, she got to her feet and rushed out the door.

"Gab—" The door closed with a slight ring of a bell.

Sharpay stood up, leaning on the table with both hands, trying to think of a solution. 'Shit.' She thought repeatedly. 'What just happened?'

She grabbed the small bag that had been left, and noticed that the letter she'd written was gone. 'She's probably gonna burn it.'

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Gabriella raced out the coffee shop door, trying to hold back the tears pressing against her eyelids. Wrapping her arms around herself, she began the long, cold walk home.

As soon as she was about ten minutes away, the tears began to fall rapidly.She was hurt by the 'joke.' She found it extremely hard to believe that Sharpay would do something like that; she'd actually thought that there had been something there. When they touched…

And what the note had said. It seemed so sincere, so real.

Dear Gabriella.

I don't know why I'm writing this, I don't know why I'm telling you now, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take another day of you not knowing. I don't expect you to feel the way I do, but I want to be true and honest with you. I don't want to lose you, but you should know…

Putting it in simplest terms, I want you as my Valentine. I like you Gabriella, and in more than a friend kind of way. My feelings are so much more than that. I've felt like this for a while, but until now I've been too scared to say or do anything.

Your smile can cheer up any day for me. Your laugh can make me grin like nothing else. A look from you makes me melt.

I never thought that I could feel like this about someone. I'm sorry if this scares you or pushes you away. I understand if the feelings aren't returned, I just hope we can still manage to be friends, because that's more than I could ask for right now.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Xoxo

Sharpay

The tears fell freely as Gabriella entered her room and curled in her bed.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Hi, Mrs. Bol—"

"Ahem."

"Sorry—Lucille, is Troy home?"

Sharpay had recovered and headed for the Bolton residence. If anyone knew Gabriella inside-out, it was Troy. She needed to pry, she needed to know what he knew.

"He's out back playing basketball. You can head back there if you want," the woman answered kindly.

"Thank you." She headed for the back of the house.

"Bolton!" She stood at the edge of his court.

Looking up, Troy did a double-take when he saw Sharpay.

"Wha—weren't you with…" He took in the form-fitting sweater she wore; lingering a moment too long on the low V-neck it had.

"My face is up here." She snapped her fingers at him. "And yes, I was with Gabriella."

He suddenly looked up, interested. "So what happened?"

"What did you expect to happen?" She challenged.

"Uh…nothing, I don't know. Did anything…?"

"What do you know?"

"Huh?"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing.  
"

"Troy!" She snapped in her usual Sharpay-manner.

He gave her a clueless look.

"Tell me how the hell she feels!" Her voice rose to a shrill command.

'Damn, she's hot when she's pissed.' Troy thought, although he took a timid step back. "She um…she kind of…"

"Likes me?"

He nodded.

"Look. I need your help with something."

"What?" He stared at her.

"Okay. I kind of wrote her something—a note. It said all this stuff about how I felt, and I wanted to give it to her today. I decided against it last-minute and she still found it. I freaked and said it wasn't true and a joke and—"

"Why?"

Sharpay scowled, she hated being interrupted. "Keep your mouth shut; you'll have your time to talk."

He glared at her, but said nothing.

"Like I said. I freaked out. And how she looked after she read it…" She continued like this for a while, Troy listening restlessly before her. "The point is, I want her back. You know her. Now I know for sure how she feels. So…"

Troy stared. "So you want me to help you guys get together?"

"Exactly."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"What if she, like, pushes me off the balcony or something?"

"Then I'm guessing she's really pissed and doesn't want you back."

Sharpay glared daggers at the guy next to her. "You're completely useless."

"Have fun climbing up on your own Sharpay." He began to walk away.

"Get the hell back here," she hissed, grabbing hold of his 'Wildcats' T-shirt.

They were now standing in Gabriella's backyard; below her balcony. Troy had helped come up with a—surprisingly—good plan. Now she was going to give it a try, but she wasn't one for climbing trees.

Sharpay tugged on Troy's sleeve impatiently. "Get me up there."

He reached for her waist. "And your hands will remain where they're supposed to be at all times." She warned, before allowing him to lift her.

They both shuddered at the contact, though probably not for the same reasons.

Grabbing on to a high branch, Sharpay pulled herself up onto the floor of the balcony. She outstretched her hands, motioning for Troy to hand up her stuff.

Stopping a few feet from the landing, he held out her things, wich she quickly took.

He stayed in this position, looking up,. "Go!" She hissed at him.

"Sure you don't want me to…erm…hang arounde?"

He scurried down the tree as a heel came a little too close to his head.

"Damn," he muttered.

She pointed toward the front, mouthing 'go.'

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a mass of red, blue, and pink balloons (Gabriella's favorite colors.) and headed to the glass doors.

Peering in, she saw Gabriella on her bed, curled up and hugging a pillow.

Smiling at the sight, she softly knocked on the door.

At first the girl didn't flinch, but after the second—and more forceful—knock, she turned around to see what was there.

Glancing out, she spotted the nervous blonde, and froze for a second. 'What is she…

Another persistent knock.

Opening the door, she stared at the other, not sure about what she should say. "I'm sorry," Sharpay whispered.

"What—" She stared at the balloons, and the single red rose clutched in the girl's other hand; the stem almost breaking under the hold she had on it.

Reaching out, Gabriella gently took it from her, allowing her hand to linger there just a moment more than was needed. Looking up, she met the blonde's gaze. "I'm sorry…I just thought…it seemed…I—"

Sharpay placed a hand on her shoulder. "I-I was…scared. It was all real. I meant it all. I wrote it for you…"

"Then why…" Her voice trailed off filled with unanswered questions.

"I was scared. I didn't think…I freaked out last minute. And I wasn't sure what you thought, I assumed…"

The brunette's face held an understanding look. "It's okay. I…do you…"

"I meant everything I wrote." She reached out to the brunette, giving her a slight hug.

Gabriella hugged back with her free hand; the other held the balloons. "Thank you," she whispered in to the other's blonde curls.

Pulling apart, they looked at each other uncertainly. Above them the sky was beginning to darken; the first stars shining brightly. The slight breeze was cool and fresh. The air was peaceful. Two pairs of brown eyes locked.

The gaze was held, growing more intense with the passing milliseconds. Two beautiful girls leaned forward slightly, the space between them decreasing more and more.

Two pairs of brown eyes closed. The separating space was broken. Two pairs of soft lips joined. Two hearts gave a leap of joy. The sun set completely, and the moon shone brighter than ever.

Breaking apart, Sharpay stroked Gabriella's cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, Gabby." She whispered.

"Happy Valentine's Day," came the sweet melody of a voice.

Taking a step away, Sharpay handed Gabriella a familiar gift bag. "Wha—"

Sharpay just smiled and motioned for her to open it.

The excited girl reached inside and pulled a pack of heart-shaped peanut butter chocolates Smiling, she reached again. This time she held a brown fuzzy panda bear, dressed in a pink costume similar to one she'd worn during Twinkle Town.

"Oh my—"

"One more thing," Sharpay said softly.

Reaching in a last time, Gabriella extracted a beautiful golden necklace; a charm in the shape of a rose hung from it. Looking closely, she saw that in the middle of the flower were the letters G and S.

She felt tears of joy and emotion come to her eyes, and she made no effort to hold them back. "Thank you, so so so much."

The blonde smiled and gave her a hug, holding her close.

"How…"

"I'm just that amazing." Sharpay grinned.

"Uh-huh?" Gabriella was now grinning as well.

"Well, a little birdy gave me a few ideas."

"Really? Did it maybe have blue eyes?"

Sharpay smiled. "Could be. So is it…okay."

"It's…grate."

Suddenly Gabriella pulled away and grabbed a blue balloon from the mass. "Your favorite color's pink?"

Sharpay stared and nodded.

Grabbing a pink one as well, she held it out to the confused girl.

She held her blue balloon outward, and grabbed Sharpay's hand with the pink one; the two balloons bobbing next to each other.

Sharpay began to understand.

"Three…" she whispered. "Two…one…"

The balloons rose into the night. Side by side, together…

Higher, higher, together…

[Falling head over heels

Thought I knew how it feels

But with you it's like the first day of my life

You leave me speechless

When you talk to me

You leave me breathless

The way you look at me

You manage to disarm me

My soul is shining through

I can't help but surrender

Oh no

My everything to you

You leave me speechless

(the way you smile, the way you touch my face)

You leave me breathless

(it's something that you do I can't explain)

I run a million miles just to hear you say my name

Baby

-------

A/N Okay so there was the Gabpay.

I really hope you enjoyed it, although it kinda dragged…

This will probably be my last one for this series, unless I come up with something, but for now it's complete.

Btw, Vanessa actually owns a cute little bear and loves peanut butter. Ashley is like a 'Coffee Bean lover.'

I personally find jewelry and stuffed animals romantic… ;)

I need a Valentine! LOL

Thanks so much to everyone who had this on alerts; thanks a million and virtual cookies to everyone who reviewed!

Thanks a million for reading!Now Review!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Xox-Daizy


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